Chicago State University Student Shazaad Ahmed Selected for Distinguished Fellowship

2025-2026 Schweitzer Fellows to Carry Out Service Projects in Disinvested Chicago Communities

July 3, 2025 – Chicago State University student Shazaad Ahmed (Social Work) has been selected for the distinguished Schweitzer Fellowship—a year-long service-learning program that helps Fellows design and implement innovative projects that address the health needs of underserved Chicago communities.

Named in honor of famed humanitarian and Nobel laureate Dr. Albert Schweitzer, the Chicago Area Schweitzer Fellows Program encourages students to become lifelong leaders in service by addressing unmet health needs among divested Chicagoland residents. Each fellow will collaborate with existing community organizations to create a community-based project, dedicating a total of 200 hours of service. Using a broad public health lens, the new Fellows will work to improve community well-being and target the social determinants of health—the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age that have a profound impact on health and quality of life.

Ahmed plans to support older LGBTQIA+ adults in the Chicago area through focus groups and regular gatherings that foster connection, inclusion, and community engagement to reduce isolation.

“I was drawn to the Schweitzer Fellowship because of its strong reputation for supporting meaningful, community-based health initiatives. The program’s prestige in the field of health and human services, combined with its focus on equity and social impact, made it the ideal platform to develop and elevate a project that addresses the specific needs of LGBTQ+ older adults—an area I’m deeply committed to advancing,” said Ahmed.

Using an interdisciplinary approach, the Fellowship exposes students to real-world inter-professional, collaborative care and aims to develop lifelong leaders in service. The 2025-2026 Fellows include students from disciplines, ranging from nursing to art therapy and public health. The exceptional class of Fellows was selected from a pool of almost 100 applicants through a competitive process.

In addition to his service project Ahmed and his peers will also participate in a thirteen-month program that includes monthly meetings, training, and ongoing opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration as well as support from a team of mentors from their schools, project sites, alumni network, and staff. The new Fellows join a network of over 800 Chicago alumni.

About the Chicago Area Schweitzer Fellows Program

For 29 years, the Chicago Area Schweitzer Fellows Program has provided a platform for graduate students in health- related fields to design and implement innovative projects that improve the health and well-being of underserved populations throughout Chicago. This nationally recognized service-learning program has provided over 130,000 hours of community service to more than 150 community organizations and has had a lasting impact on the Chicago-land community. The program's monthly meetings, training, and ongoing opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration support the Fellows' interest in becoming lifelong leaders in public service. The Fellows for Life Program (FFL) provides continuing leadership development and service opportunities for Schweitzer alumni. The Chicago Area Schweitzer Fellowship program is one of 10 nationwide and is administered by Health & Medicine Policy Research Group.

About Health & Medicine Policy Research Group

Health & Medicine Policy Research Group (Health & Medicine) is an independent policy center that conducts research, educates, and collaborates with other groups to advocate policies and impact health systems to improve the health status of all people.

Our mission is to build power and momentum for social justice and health equity in Illinois.